ed, "of all the Christmas-tree buds that _don't_ bloom?"
It was a funny question. It didn't have a thing in the world to do with
Santa Claus being a grandfather.

"Oh, mother never throws away any of the buds," laughed Rosalee. "She
just keeps them year after year and wires them on all over again."

"All unfulfilled wishes," said my mother. "Still waiting--still wishing!
Maybe they'll bloom some time! Even Carol's--camel," she laughed out
suddenly. "Who knows, sonny-boy--but what if you keep on _wishing_
you'll actually travel some day to the Land-Where-Camels-Live?
Maybe--maybe you'll own a--a dozen camels?"

"With purple velvet blankets?" I cried. "All trimmed with scarlet silk
tassels? And smelling of sandalwood?"

"I have never understood," said my father, "that camels smelt of
sandalwood."

Young Derry Willard didn't seem exactly nervous any more. But he jumped
up very suddenly. And went and stood by the fire.

"It's the finest Christmas idea I ever heard of!" he said. "And if
nobody has any objections I'd like to take a little turn myself at
_budding_ the Christmas tree!"

"Oh, but you won't be here for Christmas!" cried everybody all at once.

"No, I certainly sha'n't be," admitted Derry Willard, "unless I am
invited!"

"Why, of course, you're invited!" cried everybody. Father seemed to have
swallowed something. So mother invited him twice. Father kept right on
choking. Everybody was frightened but mother.

Young Derry Willard had to run like everything to catch his train. It
was lucky that he knew what he wanted. With only one wish to make and
only half a minute to make it in, it was wonderful that he could decide
so quickly! He snatched a pencil! He scribbled something on a piece of
paper! He crumpled the "something" all up tight and tossed it to mother!
Carol and mother wadded it into a tin-foil bud! They took the
gold-colored tin-foil! Rosalee and I wired it to a branch! We chose the
highest branch we could reach! Father held his overcoat for him! Father
handed him his bag! Father opened the door for him! He ran as fast as he
could! He waved his hand to everybody! His laugh was all sparkly with
white teeth!

The room seemed a little bit dark after he had gone. The firelight
flickered on the tame coon's collar. Sometimes it flickered on the
single gold bud. We cracked more nuts and munched more raisins. It made
a pleasant noise. The tame crow climbed up on the window-sill and tapped
and tapped ag